


I'm Guessing that I've Grown Horns

by thiccskeleton



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Blood Pacts, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, Sasha James Lives, Tim Stoker (The Magnus Archives) Lives, dark!Reader, elias bouchard fucking dies, giving season 4 Jon all of the love, goodbye you fucker, if it'll make u happy, itll make sense i swear, jons love language is hand holding fight me, just some monsters in love, long fic, reader is touched by The Dark, you are free to headcanon that its reader/jon/martin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25419088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thiccskeleton/pseuds/thiccskeleton
Summary: "When you met Jonathan Sims the first time, he was an unremarkable man. When you met him again he was… different. Softer, somehow. Something about him glowed faintly and in the dark of your own being, you couldn't miss it."Or; a complete history of yourself and your relationship with Jonathan Sims, The Archivist. From humans, to monsters, to lovers.____________a/n: Fic was originally hosted on my main account called skreaver, it's now being hosted here but it's the same person!
Relationships: Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist/Original Character(s), Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	I'm Guessing that I've Grown Horns

**Author's Note:**

> tw: blood sucking (you're not a vampire or anything and it'll make sense in context - kind of - when you get there. Nothing graphic, but it's a thing)

When you met Jonathan Sims, he was an unremarkable man. 

He was a brand new researcher to the Institute - a tall, gangly, beanpole of a thing that was struggling to carry the large box of papers in his hands. 

"Oh, hey, let me help you with that" you'd said, breaking into a gentle sprint to catch the box he'd just about dropped. You heaved the box into your arms, smiling at the new face in your building. "I know it's only paper but these boxes get a bit heavy, so if you need help moving them, just ask"

"Ah, well, thank you" he uttered, if not a bit flatly, very clearly trying to hide his bruised ego. 

You just chuckled, more than used to shucking off the self-important bravado of the place. "You the new guy then? Elias told us we'd be getting a new researcher in the lab" 

"Yes. I'm Jonathan Sims" he introduced. 

Had your hands not been full of box, you would've held one out for a shake, but as it were you could only offer him a further stretch of your lips and a nod of comprehension. "Nice to meet you, Jonathan. Welcome to the team!"

You'd introduced yourself and he returned the sentiment. 

"I'm assuming this box is going back up to the lab?" you asked. 

"Ah, yes actually" 

"Well I'll come on back with you, then. Just about done with lunch, anyhow" 

And that was the first time you met Jonathan Sims. 

He assimilated into life in the research lab pretty easily. He didn't talk very much but when he did, he almost wouldn't shut up. It was almost always to insert himself in a conversation he had a differing opinion on and at first it annoyed the shit out of you. But as time went on, months turning into years, you became accustomed to it. You'd just roll your eyes and smirk as that all too familiar "Actually, I've found that-" would come from the small work station set up just in front of yours. 

"Uh-oh here comes Jonny to play devil's advocate" Tim would laugh as the aforementioned man asserted himself in a conversation that hadn't been meant for him. 

Sasha would laugh and so would you but Martin would suddenly just shut off, more than keen to listen to the man whenever he opened his mouth. You didn't judge, and really, by the end you supposed he had all of you listening any way, begrudgingly or otherwise. 

Life went on like that for a few years, the monotony of work playing its role well and you fell into it easily enough. You forged friendships, unlikely or otherwise and for a while, life was alright.

Then…

Then came the Archives. 

You weren't so much shocked as you were annoyed that Elias passed Sasha over for the position of Head Archivist. The woman had been pouring nothing but exemplary work into the Institute for years. Jon had been there not even half the time, and not to say he wasn't intelligent, but he wasn't Sasha. 

What _did_ shock you however, was when Jon asked you to be part of the archival team. It wasn't that you didn't get on in some capacity, but judging by the way he spoke to you, you'd always assumed he took you for an idiot; which you made a point to note when he confronted you. 

"Really?" you asked, a half smile on your face as you held a cup of coffee in your one hand. "Gotta say I'm a bit surprised" 

"Why is that?" Jon cocked up an eyebrow at you. 

"Well, I kind of figured you thought I was an idiot" you shrugged, watching his eyes widen ever so. "Feels like you can't stand to hear me talk, Martin too for that matter" 

"I-that's not…" he faltered, clearly at a loss for words, and you assumed you'd caught him in the act until he continued speaking. "Look, I'm... sorry" - the word felt like a pulled tooth when he said it - "if I've led you to believe that. Sure, your supernatural ramblings can be a bit unnecessary but I value the knowledge you would bring to the team" 

"Uh, thanks I guess?" your smile turned awkward, unsure if you should be flattered or offended. 

"It's up to you if you want the position. I won't force you" he declared finally.

For some reason, you just shrugged, said "Alright, why not?"

Somehow, three words changed your entire world, and in doing so, flipped your relationship with the new archivist entirely. 

You ran the gamut of being indifferent about Jon as a boss, hating him for his secrecy and paranoia, pitying him for the role he'd been forced to play when it had been explained to you, wanting to protect him when you realized he'd been kidnapped, going with him to America since you had family there and now… whatever it was you felt as you looked at his tired, withering form on that white hospital bed. 

You couldn't say you were much better, bones still aching and tired from having crawled your way tooth and nail out of what was to be your own grave when The Stranger's ritual collapsed. You woke up Buried underneath the ground, Tim's body next to you. He was unresponsive when you initially found him but by the time you found your way to the surface, he'd started breathing again. 

Three months the two of you had been missing you came to find out, lost underneath the ground. Sasha had been almost inconsolable when the two of you came stumbling into the Institute, looking like a perfect pair of zombies. 

But you were alive, somehow you were alive. 

Somehow Jon was too. 

His heart was silent but the brain waves on the monitor indicated that soft, gentle hope of him waking up again. 

You visited him a lot, even if it was just to sit and watch him. You wanted to tell him what had happened, wanted desperately to tell him about how nothing about you felt _human_ anymore. How, when your anxiety would hit a tipping point, the light bulbs in any room you were in would burst, plummeting you into a total darkness that you found absolute and complete comfort in. 

Eventually, overcome and about ready to burst, you had quietly told his unconscious form about what happened after the ritual. How, in your desperation to climb out of that hellscape of dirt, you let in the darkness that surrounded you. Let it push the dirt and the Earth away from you to let you wander in a vast, cold and empty darkness that you could walk through. A place where you weren't trapped. A place where you walked at a languid pace, carrying Tim's body even still, as you made your way towards an exit you somehow _knew_ was there. 

And then, in the blink of an eye, you were out. Lost and weary and so confused but somehow shining in daylight once again. Tim had sputtered to life, choking up dirt in your arms, just as confused that he was alive, and very unaware of what you'd done to get him there. 

"Jon, I-" you trailed off. "I have no idea what's happening to me. I mean, like, I _know,_ but I don't know how to deal with it. I know I'd never hurt the others, they're practically the only thing holding me together, but I'm… afraid of what I'm becoming" 

You took a long, shaky breath, holding the sob that welled up in your throat at bay. "I think… I think I finally understand what you've been going through and I'm so sorry. This feeling. Feeling like your body, your mind, is no longer yours is so terrifying. I'm sorry we weren't there for you then. I'm sorry we didn't help you more" 

You sighed deeply. "I know you can't hear me but… when you wake up let's figure this out together. I don't… you don't have to be alone anymore. Trust us this time. Trust me. Okay?" 

But he heard you, loud and clear, and even if he didn't wake up just then, your words were a catalyst for the Jon that _would_ emerge from that coma. 

When you met Jonathan Sims the first time, he was an unremarkable man. When you met him again he was… different. Softer, somehow. Something about him glowed faintly and in the dark of your own being, you couldn't miss it. 

"I suppose you're not too pleased to see me either?" he called you by name, a weak smile on his face as Basira neglected to give him any comfort or reassurance that she was happy he was awake. 

You didn't blame her, but you certainly didn't feel the same. 

"No I'm… I'm actually really happy to see you, Jon" you smiled. It was weak, like his, but nothing about it was disingenuous. You were _very_ happy to see him. 

And somehow, he believed you, knew it to be true, and you saw a smile break over his tired face. 

When it was eventually just the two of you in that hospital room he confided in you that he'd heard you talking to him, heard your testimony. 

"Have you told the others?" he asked. 

"Yeah" you answered softly. "Finally pieced it together enough to figure out what happened"

"What did they think?" 

You just shrugged. "I think they're alright with it? Or at least they accept it. They don't look at me any different, at least until the light bulbs blow. Tim's made a joke out of it though. Says all the replacement light bulbs must be eating into Peter's pockets. Although, gotta be honest, I wish it was Elias my new habit was affecting" 

The two of you shared in a dry, tired chuckle at that. 

It went quiet, not unbearably, in fact it was quite comfortable. It was in that space of silent contemplation that you, for whatever reason, reached out for Jon's hand. You watched as he jumped, clearly off set by the action, but he didn't pull away. 

You didn't know why, but you felt compelled to say it. "I'm sorry, Jon"

He looked at you, both eyebrows raised in confusion. "Whatever for?" 

"Everything? I guess?" you sighed. "I know I had a right to be mad about some of the things you did but… shit, I don't know. Had I known you were going through this maybe I could've been a bit more sympathetic. Less angry. Maybe we wouldn't be here if we hadn't been so divided" 

"All things considered, I…" he started. "I think you've been more than fair with me" 

It was your turn to crop up a curious eyebrow at him. "How so?" 

"You've trusted me even when I've given you no reason to. I've seen you time and time again put yourself aside just to get to where we need to be, and all I had to do was ask" 

You shrugged, somehow unable to repress the fluster that burned inside of you at the observation. You were… unsure if it was a compliment or not. "I mean, I've always been like that. Sometimes you have to just shut off and power through" 

"And yet you've never been cold to the others. Never lost their trust. I think…" he chuckled sadly. "I think in some ways I envy you" 

You squeezed his hand, gentle and affectionate. "Hey, it's not too late, you know? I mean I don't know about Basira or Melanie but Sasha and Tim would be open to an apology and _God knows_ Martin needs you right about now" 

He looked at you, eyes meeting yours in a lost, woeful yet hopeful gaze. "You think they'd be willing?" 

"Absolutely. And hey, for added security, I'll play mediator, alright?" you grinned. 

For the first time in however long you saw Jon smile, well and truly smile.

"Thank you"

You smiled back. "You got it, boss" 

\--

When Jon came back to the Institute, that conversation you promised had been long and full of heartache. Basira and Melanie wanted nothing to do with it, understandably, but you, Sasha, Tim and Martin - the ones that had been there from the beginning - sat in Jon's office; and you cried, angry or otherwise. You wore your hearts out on your sleeves, and for the first time since you'd started that job in the archives, did the five of you just connect together as a unit. 

Things got a little easier after that. 

You and Jon certainly got closer. The two of you bonded over these new powers emerging within yourselves, trying to figure out what it meant for your humanity. You had anchors, strong ones at that, but that didn't stop the feelings of no longer belonging to yourself. 

"Are we… are we monsters?" Jon asked one afternoon when the two of you were alone in his office. He gazed at you with that new look in his eyes, painful and lost, looking for any hope of an answer. 

"I don't…" you trailed off, eyes tracing the wall as you thought about it. 

You thought about the months you'd spent with your team, before Jon came back. They looked at you with such sympathy whenever the lights would blow out, that look of utter terror and humiliation evident in your eyes. When you'd apologize, they'd just reassure you it was alright, that they didn't mind. _They weren't afraid of you_. Hell, after you threw Jared Hopworth into a pool of darkness when it became apparent he couldn't be killed conventionally - they thanked you. They thanked you for saving them. 

"This might sound crazy but I don't think so?" 

The way Jon looked at you told you that wasn't the answer he was expecting. 

"I think it depends on what we do, Jon. How we use our powers. Sure, they're born from awful, twisted things but we can twist them right back. Certainly _knowing things_ about people is a harmless enough power if you keep it in check. Throwing people into a dark void? Not so much. But I also don't have any ambition to do that" you shrugged. 

"Not unless it's Peter or Elias, of course" you added after a moment, sneering. 

"I think most of us would take some level of joy in that" Jon agreed, an amused smile on his tired looking face. 

"And we'd be right to" you declared with a soft grin. 

He didn't disagree. 

The two of you spent the rest of that afternoon together. You, silently listening as he read you a statement, your eyes closed as you reveled in the sound of his rhythmic voice. 

Just two "monsters" enjoying each other's company, as it were.

\--

You were there when Breekon came to deliver the coffin one final time. 

In witnessing the event you also knew that what was in the coffin, needed to be out of the coffin. So when you found Jon stabbing himself in his office, trying to get a piece of bone out that could serve as an anchor, you were unsettled but not surprised. 

"Couldn't one of us just be your anchor?" you asked, tilting your head in curiosity. 

"I suppose? I, I hadn't really thought about it" Jon replied. "Didn't want to drag anyone else into it, I guess" 

You playfully rolled your eyes at that one. "Jon, I think it's a little too late for that" 

He nodded, chuckling ever so softly. "Guess you're right" 

"So, in that vein, anything I can do?" 

"Well, I…" the look in Jon's eyes went suddenly very distant, unfocused, as if he were focusing on a picture in his brain. "Oh…" 

" _Oh"_ you watched as his face flushed a bright, red color. 

You weren't sure you liked this reaction. 

"What is it? Know something?" 

"Ah, y-yes but I'm not, not entirely sure you're going to _like_ it" he chuckled nervously. 

"Judging by your reaction, I already don't, but lay it on me" you shrugged.

"Er, right, well" Jon struggled for a moment, before ultimately deciding to just blurt it out. "Would you be willing to drink my blood?" 

It was a good thing you weren't holding anything, because you'd just about collapsed yourself when the words came out of his mouth. " _Excuse me?_ "

"Look, _look_ " Jon rushed out, hurriedly trying to defend himself. "I, I understand if you don't want to. Believe me it's not my first choice, I just, that's the first thing that came to me" 

"Okaaay…." you drawled out, a suspicious look in your eyes. "Can you perhaps explain what my drinking your blood will do?" 

He sighed, heavily at that. "It appears to be some kind of pact. Seems like it would be stronger than having a physical piece of me here as well" 

"Alright…" you answered distantly, searching his eyes for any sign that this might be a prank or a joke. But you knew Jon, pranks weren't really his thing. Which meant that he was being serious.

"Okay" you decided finally. "I mean if it'll work and it'll get you and Daisy back safely then I can't really say no" 

Jon's eyes widened, surprised you'd agreed so easily. "Are you… are you sure?" 

You shrugged. "I guess. It's not like I have to cut out your heart or eat your hair so what's a little bit of vampirism?" 

Jon let out a dry chuckle at that. "Yes, I suppose that's true" 

"Mm" you agreed. "Soo, uh, how do you want to do this? Mean I could bite your neck but that seems a little intimate" 

"Oh, er, right" Jon fumbled, face brightening all over again. "My uh, my, my wrist should be fine" 

You exhaled, briefly wondering what on God's earth had ever led you to this moment. "Okay, well, let's get this over with" 

Jon presented you with his wrist as you stepped around his desk. You could see he was shaking just the slightest bit but you couldn't really blame him. After all he'd just asked his co-worker to _drink his blood_ for crying out loud. You felt somewhere inside of you that you should be more reluctant about doing something like this, but after everything that had gone on in the past three years, this just seemed like something that might as well happen. 

Gently as you possibly could you brought Jon's thin wrist up to your mouth, and bit down on it. You heard him try to stifle a pained groan but you didn't dare make eye contact with him, your skin already starting to burn with some kind of embarrassment or fluster. 

You felt the taste of blood begin to pool on your tongue, the unpleasant metallic tang making you internally gag. But you pushed through, trying to remind yourself that this was apparently for Jon's safety, for Daisy's safe return - and definitely not for the voyeuristic pleasure of some stupid fucking fear deity of vision. When you eventually pulled back at Jon's behest, blood smeared over your face, you found him thoroughly flushed, chest heaving as though he'd just ran a marathon. He stared at you with a look you didn't quite recognize on his face, but it was deep and intense. 

"That's, that's enough" he mumbled, drawing his arm back to himself as he went to wipe it down. "Thank you… for doing that. I know it wasn't… pleasant" 

"Not really" you scoffed, reaching for the box of tissues he kept on his desk so as to wipe off your mouth. "But if it works we'll be in good shape" 

"I think it will. It felt…" he trailed off, eyes venturing from yours. "It felt like it… worked" 

"Well that's good to hear I guess?" you said the words but you weren't even quite sure what they meant. You weren't sure how any of this _worked._ But you trusted Jon, so if he was confident, then you had to believe him. 

"What's our next move?" 

"For me… it's a trip into that coffin" Jon replied gravely. 

You pulled in a breath. "Right" 

Following that, about a half an hour later of prep, Jon went into the coffin. 

You stayed behind, waiting anxiously at his desk as the clock ticked by on the wall. 

Somehow, as your eyes darted from the clock, to the coffin, and back again, your anxiety was the only negative emotion you could really feel. There was this… odd calm over you. Like you could feel where Jon was, that he was still alive. You would have no idea of the pain he was experiencing down there, but you could just _feel_ him. The connection never faded, though it grew faint enough at one point that it caused you to go over and start yelling your boss' name into the impossibly large space in the coffin. Within a matter of minutes, you could feel that ghostly, faded feeling tighten, the connection growing stronger. 

Then Jon came out. And so did Daisy.

He was weak and his voice strained but he smiled when he saw you. "Guess it worked after all" 

"Guess so" you smiled back, a wave of relief claiming you to have them both back in your sights. "You guys rest here I'm going to get you some water" 

The rest of that evening you looked after Jon and Daisy, trying to get their strengths up, helping them brush the dirt off of their clothes. Jon tried to tell you that you didn't have to fuss so much but seeing as how he could barely stand, you simply hushed him, told him to sit down and drink some water. You said, rather playfully, that you were going to help whether he wanted it or not. 

"After all" you chuckled wryly. "We're bound by blood now" 

The flush on his face that accompanied his awkward smile seemed to indicate his unspoken agreement. 

\--

You went with Jon and Basira to Ny-Ålesund. He told you that you didn't have to, that he knew it might be uncomfortable for you, but you knew in your gut that you _had_ to when he disclosed that the Dark Sun was there. 

You didn't know what it would do for you, weren't sure it would do anything but make things worse. But that artificial, celestial being called to you in your dreams. 

You had to at least see it. 

The week of terror, of pure night that Manuela described stirred nothing in you but sympathy for the poor souls that had been lost in the church's ruthless pursuit of a successful ritual. 

But then she spoke of the Eclipse, described in such utter, beautiful detail how that blessed darkness enveloped the world for one blissful moment; and something inside of you yearned for that cold world where you could walk unseen, unheard. Never again to be perceived by judging, piercing eyes. 

Guilt was the thing you felt next. 

Guilt for ever wanting a world where the people you loved would wander in darkness, just because it gave you the freedom to be unseen. You couldn't imagine Tim in a dark world. He burned too brightly, smile and skin kissed by the sun itself. Would you damn Sasha, who loathed the darkness of Artefact Storage, to a world like that? Or Martin, who reached for the light like a flower blooming in a field? 

The troubling thoughts you felt must've been written so blatantly on your face because you felt fingers slip into yours. They did so slowly, feeling their way into the spaces between yours, sliding into unknown territory. When you looked, suddenly snapped free of these agonizing thoughts, you found Jon staring down at you, concern in his eyes as he gently squeezed your hand. 

"I'm… I'm alright" you said softly, voice distant and almost out of your control. 

"That beautiful, dark world calls to you, doesn't it?" Manuela crooned, those bitter eyes of hers staring straight down the barrel of your soul. "I can feel it. You've been touched, just like us" 

" _Don't_ speak to them like that" Jon demanded, suddenly sounding very defensive. "They're nothing like you"

"Maybe not entirely" Manuela chuckled, crude and bitter. "But they're on the path" 

"Where is the Dark Sun?" Basira cut in, impatient, but perhaps also noticing how this disenchanted woman's words affected you so.

"Just beyond that door" Manuela gestured to a door behind you, Jon and Basira. Her gaze then turned on you once again. "You're welcome to look upon it. I'm sure you could properly admire it's beauty" 

You felt a cold chill sweep over your body at those words, somehow knowing them to be true. 

Basira straightened her gun at the woman. "Shut up" 

"No, Basira" you spoke up, voice still soft. "I think… I think I should" 

She looked at you, cautious worry in her expression. "She's just trying to trick you. To get you to do something stupid. You look at that thing and you could die" 

"No" you said again. "I won't. I know I won't. And I also know that if I don't face it, face this thing in my heart, then I won't ever get control over it" 

The room is quiet, and in that quiet Jon gripped your hand tightly. "Are you sure about this?" 

"No" you looked at him, full of terror and doubt - yet somehow a resolve formed in your core. "But I have to" 

He seemed to understand, knew that he couldn't change your mind. Knew that this was something you had to do for yourself. 

"Okay" he resigned. "Yell if you need us" 

You nodded and he gently unfurled his hand from yours, taking with him the warmth you hadn't realized was keeping you steady.

You waited until the three of them were long out of the room before you went to the door. Your hand shook as you reached for the handle. A feeling of panic washed over you as your fingers made contact, hesitant to turn the thing and open the door. 

But. Slowly, ever so slowly. You did. 

It was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. Looking at it made you feel like you were home. Home to a twisted, broken house but one that wouldn't judge you, couldn't see you. It called to you, sang so beautifully that you could swear your mother was in your ear, singing to you like you were a child again. 

You _saw_ it. _Felt_ it. 

Somewhere beyond you, that _watcher_ part of you saw it too. 

And then it was gone. 

But you still felt it underneath your skin. 

\-- 

The repercussions of your trip to Ny-Ålesund became apparent in a matter of weeks. It wasn't terrible, not for the people around you, but for you it was something new. Something new that a human shouldn't be doing. 

You were… "disappearing" would be the best way to describe it. You would think about being somewhere and the world would go dark for the briefest of moments. When light filled your senses again, you would be in that place you thought of. 

The first time it happened you were at work. Of course you were. 

You'd been in the office across the hall from Jon's, going over something with Sasha and Tim. The latter of which suggested getting Jon to use his "third eye" to see if he could glean any helpful information to move things along. You remembered thinking that you didn't feel like getting up to go into his office, didn't feel like walking. 

Then you were in Jon's office, staring widely at the man who had jumped back about fifty feet with a shriek when you aparated into the chair opposite his. Tim and Sasha came running in about a minute later, yelling that you had disappeared in a "thick, black smoke", only to find you there. 

After he calmed down, Jon was able to figure out that this was a new addition to your powers as a "dark" avatar. 

"At least warn us next time. Practically gave me a heart attack" Tim breathed, laughing airly. 

"I'm _sorry,_ I didn't know I was going to do that" you rebutted, a bit defensive. "Didn't know I could until just then..." the way your voice dropped to a distressed whisper did not go unnoticed to the people in the room.

But they left it alone, and everyone just tried to adapt to your new ability. You tried not to pull it often, but sometimes it just happened. 

"Ugh, it's so annoying!" you moaned, laying your head down on Jon's desk. "I don't even mean to do it half the time" 

"I think I can understand that" Jon chuckled softly. "The same goes for me with… _knowing_ things" 

"Yeah" you sighed, picking your head back up. "I can imagine it's not exactly pleasant knowing everyone's business, especially if you shouldn't or don't want to know it" 

"That's the long and short of it, yes" he responded. "It does come in handy on occasion though" 

You nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely" 

You weren't sure why the thought that came to you next surfaced in your mind, but it did, and it felt important. 

"Say, Jon" 

"Hm?"

"If you spoke to Elias, do you think you could compel him? Like, just rip the truth right out of him?" 

"I…" he paused. "I think it's possible" he said almost curiously. "But apparently he's refusing to see me, according to Basira. So it's not like I could try" 

"Sounds a little sus" you mused. "Kind of like he's afraid" 

"Elias? Afraid of me?" he scoffed at the idea. 

You shrugged, a playful smirk on your lips. "Hey, weirder things have happened. I mean, a half avatar of The Dark is working in the palace of The Eye. Aren't the two like sworn enemies?" 

"Well, just because they are doesn't mean we have to be" 

"Fair enough" you chuckled. "Don't think I could be your enemy, anyway. I like you too much" 

Those words _had_ been meant in friendliness: but as they came out, your heart flipped over in your chest, signaling a truth you knew you'd been trying to bury for a very long time. 

And in that moment, Jon _knew._ You didn't know he knew. But you'd figure it out. 

"Oh, I…" the flushed features that painted his face confused you, as you still figured the phrase was still ambiguous enough to hide the growing feelings you'd been having for this man. "I quite like you too" he said, clearing his throat in fluster after the fact. 

"Aw, thanks Jon" you grinned, burying the disappointment that came with assuming he only meant it in a friendly way. "Don't think I've ever heard you say that before" 

"That's… that's because I… I…uhm" he sighed. "I-I don't mean it as in… I like you in a friend way, or-or even as a colleague, I…" he stuttered, trying to get a hold of himself long enough to spit it out.

"I like you" 

Then it clicked; and the disappointment you'd buried at the bottom of your stomach fluried up into your chest in a wave of flushed anxiety. 

"Oh" you said dumbly, blinking at your hands. "Oh, shit I… I didn't think that was possible to tell you the truth" 

"What?" he looked at you incredulously. "That I couldn't like you? Why?"

"I don't know!" you threw up your hands. "I never pictured us together until I _did_ and then it was weird because you were my boss and the world was on fire so I figured _then_ wasn't the best time to be thinking about it" 

"And what about now?" 

"I…" you stopped, running your fingers through your hair. "I don't know. I'm not sure I… ever really thought about it. The feelings were just… there"

The room is quiet. 

The only sound for the longest time is your rough, heavy sigh. 

"Look, Jon, I like you, like a lot" you confessed, taking the smallest amount of joy in watching his eyes light up as you did. "But could we… maybe revisit this? I don't know if either of us are ready for a relationship right now" 

Judging by the look in his eyes, you could tell he understood, maybe even felt the same. "Of course we can" 

"Thank you" you smiled. 

Maybe you weren't official, but somehow just knowing he had feelings for you was enough for now. At least until you figured out what you wanted to do; figured out if you… knew what would make you happy. Would Jon make you happy? You never thought about it until that moment really. You'd convinced yourself that romance was something you'd never find yourself involved in and quickly threw all ideas of it in the trash. 

Now you were here… and you had to fish those ideas out of the garbage and tape them back together. 

How… unexpected. 

\--

Following that exchange, things didn't change all that much, but you did find that Jon was actually a bit more physically affectionate towards you. He didn't hug you or anything but his hands always seemed to be on or near you in some way. One on your shoulder, or on your back. Lingering just within arms reach on his desk. 

You briefly wondered, with a stupid grin on your face, if he'd ever been this awkward with Georgie. You'd never ask, but the thought was entertaining. 

Of course, you didn't let his touches go unreciprocated. You'd even placed a chaste kiss on his cheek in the privacy of his office, just to watch that brilliant, red color fill his face. It was… almost exhilarating to know you could do that to someone. To _Jon_. That maybe his heart twisted up in fluster when you were just a little too close. Maybe his hands got clammy when you looked at him for too long. You had no idea but the thought was charming. 

Regardless, the two of you did try to be subtle as you flirted with the idea of being together. At least you'd tried to. On more than one occasion Jon had to catch himself as he'd stare after you with a dumb, stupid smile on his face, watching you leave his office. During a few such occasions Sasha caught him, breaking him out of his stupor as she handed him a stack of documents with a coy smile on her face. She never said anything but that look in her eyes fueled such a deep embarrassment within him that he almost wanted to climb back into The Buried. 

But he wouldn't. Aside from the obvious reasons, the less obvious ones were what mattered. 

He liked being in this world where you were. 

So, when he threw his cautions to the wind, and kissed you during a late night shift in his office, everything felt _right._ Everything felt like it was settling into place as you kissed back, only to pull away and look in his eyes, a loving, tender smile to match his. 

"You know... I think I've had enough time to think about everything" 

"And?" Jon raised an eyebrow, playfully expectant but somehow cautiously hopeful. 

" _And_ I think we might be alright, if we give it a shot" you giggled. 

"I think that's some sound logic you have there" he chuckled softly. 

Then you kissed him; and somehow he _knew_ the two of you would be alright. 

\-- 

Months would pass after that before something happened. Until you and Jon hatched a plan of your own. The two of you had started to move in a syncopated rhythm, one even Peter had trouble disrupting. When you came up with an idea one day, Jon was quick to fill in the holes, until a full idea presented itself completely in the space of those archives. 

One that you were just dark enough to hide. 

So when you made your move, Elias had a hard time following. When you appeared in his jail cell, stepping cooly out of a dark cloud, you reveled in the look of pained shock that you had seen, for the first time, ever cross his smug face. 

"Hello, Elias. You're coming with me" you said simply, grabbing him roughly by the arm and tossing him into another portal of darkness before he had any time to even conceive of escape, of calling the guards. 

On the other side of that portal were his former employees, all of them, vengeful and waiting. Elias appeared in a chair when he came back into the world of the light, and the first thing he saw were those eager, angry faces that he'd toyed with for so long. Then you appeared, and you wore such a profound, disgusting look of triumph that Elias thought he would retch on the spot. 

There was nothing he could do as Jon mercilessly ripped out every last shred of truth from him. For once, in what must've been decades, Elias Bouchard - Jonah Magnus - felt real, unbridled fear. All from the thing he helped to create. Had the spider planned this for him from the very beginning? Was the blessing he saw in the potential for an Archivist already marked by The Web a red herring? Or was it something that had gone wrong along the way? He didn't know. For once, Jonah Magnus couldn't _see._

And when Jon was done with him, you threw him away, blinding him to wander in a dark world until the beasts inside of it caught the smell of the ceaseless watcher. Until they hunted him down to be rid of it. 

No one asked what happened to Elias. No one cared. The police were certainly happy to have him out of their business. Peter was a different issue, but in truth, he couldn't be bothered playing dictator once there was no gamble to win. He went back to where he wanted to be - alone on his boat. 

The Institute took a monetary hit without his patronage, and while _The Magnus Institute_ didn't survive, _The James Alliance_ certainly did. 

Sasha had devised an entire reform plan and with yourself and the rest of the team, worked to dismantle the Institute as a place of The Eye's power. It was still a place of knowledge, but it wasn't guarded by terrible secrets. It became a hub of experiences for people who'd been touched by these powers, a rescue center for those being hunted by them. No longer did you sit passively, taking statements and researching them, but instead actively went to meet the threats, to quell them before they could consume another. 

It was a new beginning. For all of you. 

\-- 

"You really have to be more careful, love" Jon chuckled, wrapping a bandage around the fresh burn you'd come back with after dealing with a case concerning The Desolation. 

"Oh hush" you rolled your eyes. "You should see the other guy. Or, well, guess you can't now" you giggled mischeviously. 

"Yes, well, the dark has always been one thing that's been good at hiding from me" he agreed, lacing the ends of the bandage around your wrist. 

"You can see me pretty well though" you smiled. 

A fond, gentle smile found it's way over his face, those glowing, green eyes of his seeming to be even brighter now. "Well, you're hard to miss" 

"And?" you egged. 

"And I _want_ to see you" he chuckled. 

"Mm" you hummed, not yet satisfied. "And what else?" 

He sighed, still wearing a smile. " _And_ , I love you" 

You pressed a kiss to his lips then, smiling up at him as you pulled away. "Love you too, Jon" 

And you always would. 

Monster or human, it didn't matter. As long as you had him, you could make it work. 

As long as you had each other, everything would be alright. 

**Author's Note:**

> literally this fic is just me expressing how much I wanted to elope with season 4 Jon and tuck him into a snuggie. Y'all are free to headcanon that Martin is in a poly relationship with y'all since the boy deserves a happy ending too uwu
> 
> You: this is my boyfriend, Jon. And this is his boyfriend, Martin.


End file.
